The Death of Dexter Coburn
by lenonizi
Summary: Dexter is back in Beacon Hills after five years away. And it doesn't take too long to realize his friends Stiles and Scott are quite different from what he saw last. But the thing is, what if he is different too?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Dexter was so tired, his eyes felt like covered by sand. The trip to Beacon Hills was a lot more exhausting than expected and the idea of driving there was getting stupider at the minute. Not that he could do much about it. He had nothing to go back to.

His stomach was yelling at this point, graving for food. He needed to find a place to eat, but apparently there were only trees around him. Trees and the moon, that illuminated the road in front of him. He traveled a lot with his father, but never saw the moon as bright and big as it was in Beacon Hills.

Dexter shook his head when he thought about his father. He was so angry with him. So disappointed, so frustrated. And the worst part was, he shouldn't be. The man was always like that, why would he change now?

He kept driving, losing hope of finding a place to eat on the side of the road. Maybe once he got to town, he would find a place that opened early. He thought about all the things he would order. Bacon, pancakes, eggs. He was so distracted that almost didn't see the girl running into the woods. It took only a second, but he was sure he saw her.

He couldn't focus on driving after that, the scene locked in his mind. What would make a girl run into the woods like that? Did she need help? Did something happen to her? He thought it was none of this business, but something made him come back. Like a magnetic force pushing him towards her.

He drove back and looked at the forest, not welcoming at all. He took a deep breath, taking a minute to decide what to do. His options weren't the best: he could go into the forest and get lost, which would add to the hunger and exhaustion and make everything a lot more dangerous; or he could keep driving, try to find a diner before he passed out, and never stop wondering what happened to her. Curiosity or hunger, which one would win?

Dexter got a flashlight and got into the woods. He remembered when he was a kid and ran through it with his friends, his mother and godfather. He always felt weird about the place, a mix of familiarity and fear. He tried to recognize something, unsuccessfully.

He thought about yelling for the girl, but didn't know her name. He didn't know anything about her, how she looked, what she was doing there. At some point, Dexter even considered the possibility of her not being real, just an hallucination of a tired mind.

He heard a sound and turned around quickly. He pointed the flashlight to the tree he thought originated the sound, but there was nothing there.

"Hey," he asked. He got no answer. The more he walked, the closer the trees became. As if he wasn't worried enough the flashlight died and everything went dark around him, he could barely see the road anymore. He started to feel dizzy and looked for something to lean on. Then he felt a hard stroke in the back of his head and he lost conscience.

**A/N:** Hey there. Dexter is a character that got stuck in my mind while watching season 3 and it felt so good to finally write about him. I have a lot of material about the character in portuguese, posted in a forum that i'm part of. So, i can totally translate it all if there is interest xD Also, thanks for reading and I hope you like the story.

**A/N2:** This story is posted in AO3 too. But i'm rewriting this while posting here because I was not as happy with that version as I would like to.


	2. Tatoo

**1. Tatoo**

Dexter got to Beacon Hills High with a weird feeling. He was still trying to remember how he ended up home two days ago, when he first came to town. He was probably so tired he just blocked everything out. He even had a weird dream about a girl running into the woods.

Still in the car, Dexter looked around. The school seemed so much smaller now. He remembered middle school, when all he and his friends wanted to do was grow up, get to high school and be awesome. Scott and Stiles were all about sports, without even being sure which one was the coolest in the place. Dexter wasn't a sports guy. He liked libraries and books (his father being a writer may have had something to do with it), and would not be the one to complain about getting older.

He got his mind off the past and started getting his things when he heard the loud noise of a motorcycle right by his side. He assumed it was just another idiotic school guy who thought it was cool to show off. Then he looked out of the window.

"Scott?!" He said to the guy getting off the bike. He could not believe how fast he had found one of his childhood best friends. "Nice ride…"

The boy seemed distracted before he turned to his side and recognized Dexter.

"Dexter? What are you doing here?" the other replied, surprise spread all over his face. He smiled and, after Dexter left the car, pulled him in for a hug. "You didn't say you were coming to town!"

"Yeah, it was kind of last minute."

"And back to school?" he said pointing to Dexter's backpack. "So are you staying?"

"That's the plan."

"Is your father…"

"DEXTER?!" he heard a yell from across the parking lot. It was Stiles, who saw the two of them talking. "What the hell?"

"Hi to you too" Dexter smiled. "You look tall."

"You too! Probably puberty doing its work."

"Sometimes works in our favor... It's actually good that I found you guys, first days are always terrible."

"Well, then you are in lucky, 'cause you're already friends with two lacrosse players." Stiles said with a proud smile in his face.

"Look at that, plays in one game and already thinks he is the most popular kid at school." Dexter looked at his cellphone. "I have to go to the administration to get my schedule, but we should do something after school. I do have some amazing stories about my trips."

"Yeah, we can…" Scott looked at Stiles, not sure of what to say. "I'll find you at lunch."

"Good." Dexter replied, finding the expressions in the guys faces a little weird. They seemed so excited a minute ago.

He walked to the other corridor and looked back, to see the two of them in a very quiet conversation. They seemed worried and suspicious, and that made him worried too.

He guessed it would be normal that they had stuff to talk about where Dexter wouldn't be included. He knew getting back to town that things wouldn't be the same they were five years ago. It was a long time and they sure had gone through a lot of things together, things that Dexter wasn't involved in.

It was funny how excited he was when his father talked about them going on research trips. He wanted to visit some cities in the country, maybe some in Europe, look for more legends and stories to add to his mystery and supernatural books. The trip was supposed to take no longer than a couple of months and with his mother's death so soon ago, he was happy to get out of town for a while.

Then it was three, four, five months and it became clear his father didn't want to go home. He buried himself in work, writing, researching, talking to publishers, attending book signings. Maybe it was hard for him to go back and see his late wife everywhere in the house they built together. However, he should have thought a little about his son. Then again, he never really did.

Dexter got the schedule and his locker number and looked for it without too much enthusiasm. He could recognize some of the faces he encountered in the hallways, but they looked so different. He didn't expected any of those people to recognize him. Some of them, he even wished, had forgotten about him. Like the ginger girl that was right next to his locker. He remembered her and, based on her face, she remembered him very well too.

"Hi, Lydia."

"I didn't see that coming." She said with startled eyes. "You were gone for…"

"Five years. It's not that long." He shruged. That voice, that look of superiority… She always knew how to make him angry, always answering first in class, even when he knew the right answer too. They had studied together since kids and, both being good at school, always ended up in some kind of competition. She usually won, being able to use her social skills better than him.

"It is, for your academic life." She replied defiant.

"I don't even think I have an academic life anymore, you can relax. We are not competition."

"We never really were, right?"

"Hi, there." A brunette girl interrupted the conversation. She was talking to Lydia before Dexter got there. She seemed confused, but curious. Lydia didn't feel threatened that often. "My name is Allison."

"Argent?" Dexter asked quickly.

"How do you…" She looked more confused now.

"Scott." Lydia and Dexter spoke at the same time.

"I know him since we were kids. After I left town, we talked on facebook from time to time. He wouldn't stop talking about you, by the way."

"They are broken up." Lydia said.

"I know that. It never really stopped him." He teased. Allison looked to her feet and Lydia gave a death stare to Dexter. He didn't really care.

"Good to see you, anyway, Lydia."

"If you say so..." She simply replied when Dexter started to walk to his next class.

x.x.x

The classes began pretty well, actually. Dexter, Stiles, Lydia, Allison and Scott were all in the same class and, like destiny always works, they had to sit close to each other. Allison and Scott exchanged looks that clearly stated that something was still going on there. Good for Scott, the guy obviously still had feelings for her. The fact that she still had feelings too had to be a good signal. Not that Dexter could do anything to help.

Scotty and Stiles were still in their secrets game. Not that Dexter cared. Or that he would let anyone notice that he cared.

The teacher entered the room, sending a text to everybody's phone. It was very smart, made people notice her. Then she asked to turn the phones off and Dexter got in that sleeping with his eyes open state.

It didn't take long for other things to get Dexter's attention. First it was Scott getting excused from class for an emergency. Dexter looked at Stiles with concern, but the boy just mouthed "I don't know". It was obvious he was lying. Then there was the bunch of birds throwing themselves against the window of the classroom.

The yells were the first thing Dexter noticed. Then he noticed the fear in the face of his classmates. He looked very slowly, almost like in an action movie, to the other side, right when the glass started breaking due to the weight of the birds against it. After this, it was an all rain of glass, birds, yells, chairs moving, even some blood. He checked the room trying to find his friends. He saw Stiles protecting Lydia. That was typical. He spotted Allison close to him, trying to hide behind a chair. He pushed another chair with his feet, blocking a little more of the birds. She glanced at him.

It seemed like hours before the birds stopped coming, with no warning, as sudden as it started.

He tried to help as he could before the paramedics arrived. There were some very scared and hurt students. Then, he looked for his friends. Stiles was nowhere to be found, but Dexter saw Allison and Lydia leaving the place a fast as they could. He understood the feeling, he wanted to do the same thing.

The police didn't take long to come and, with them, Sheriff Stilinski.

"Didn't knew you were around" he said very pleased, despite the worry about what happened. Kids were being taken from the room while some parents that were close by began to show up.

"Yeah, I just got here..." Dexter sighed. "And birds attacked my classroom."

"Go see the paramedics, you are bleeding" he warned him and Dexter felt the cut in his face, a cut that he hadn't noticed before. Probably adrenaline. "Did you see Stiles?"

"He was here, but left before I could talk to him. Do you want me to find him?"

"Yeah, that would… be good." Dexter looked around, there were a lot of things he had to be doing. "Tell me when you find him?"

"I will sure do."

The cut was so minor that Dexter didn't even bother the paramedics. There were students that needed way more attention. And he couldn't really go to the hospital, they would call his father.

He looked at the Sheriff before leaving the classroom, happy to see the man. He had always been important to him, since he was born. The Sheriff had worked with Dexter's mother and was with her when she found the kid abandoned in the middle of the forest.

She said he was crying and that, as soon as she took him in her arms, she felt this immediate connection, like she was supposed to care and love him forever. He didn't believe in such an instant love, but Dexter could never say anything against his mother's efforts to make him happy.

So, the Sheriff being her partner and a big presence in her life, and he became important to Dexter as well. And considering Ms. Stilinski had just given birth to Stiles, they ended up spending a lot of time together growing up. When Scott got to town, they just closed the group that wouldn't leave each other for years to come.

Dexter went searching for Stiles to check on him, but he didn't seem to be around. He found Lydia and Allison first. They were talking to a girl. She didn't seem much older than they were.

He stopped. It felt like he couldn't move. She seemed so familiar, but he was sure he never saw her before. He could not understand what she was saying because of the distance between them. She suddenly grabbed the girl's arms. They pushed her and she left them alone.

Without even noticing, Dexter started to follow her. He didn't had have any idea of where she was going or even why he was so fixated at with her, he just knew he had to talk to her.

He finally reached her when she got in the boy's locker room.

"What are you..." she didn't let him finished. She hit him out of nowhere and he fell to the ground. He tried to talk, but couldn't. He tried to move, but couldn't.

She pushed him to a closet full of dirty clothes. The smell was terrible and Dexter tried everything he could to get out of there. He tried to ask for help, but he couldn't speak. All he could do was observe what happened at the other side through through the slightly open door.

Other people entered the locker room and, even though he could not figure out who they were, he could feel the hostility against the girl. A fight began, not very fair considering that there were a lot of people against his attacker. He wanted to do something, but never had the chance.

The fight didn't take very long. Soon the girl was on the floor and Dexter witnessed one of the most shocking scenes of his life. A man approached her. He said something Dexter could not understand. It didn't seem like a good thing, based on the expression in the girl's face. She was scared. She looked around, probably trying to find a way to escape. There wasn't one. She knew what was coming. With his big nails, he attacked her. That was blood spread in the wall behind her. She was dead. Right there, in the middle of a locker room of a high school. Dexter tried to gather all his strength to move, to get out of there. Instead, he passed out.


	3. Chaos Rising

**_I'm sorry about the delay of the posting. This story is all already written, but my beta is a little overwhelmed. So the idea is I will be posting it once a week and updating it when I get the betaed version. Hope you guys like it \o/_**

* * *

**2. Chaos Rising**

* * *

Dexter had a weird feeling waking up. The closet smelled horrible, as it was did before. However, there was no smell of blood. He stayed down and looked around. No sign of the scary people that was attacking the girl earlier. But also no sign of the girl.

He stood up slowly, still feeling a little dizzy. He put his hand in the back of his head and when he looked at it, he found blood. He must had hit his head. Maybe it was all just some crazy hallucination. Because it really didn't make any sense.

He got his cellphone out and checked the time. He had been out for almost four hours! He smelled himself, noticing the horrible odor he was releasing. He should go home. Now.

He left the locker room. There were no police around and apparently nobody notice he had pass out. It just confirmed his suspicions. He was going crazy. There were no girl being attacked. That was better than killers with big nails and witnessing a murder.

When Dexter finally got home, he sat in his couch, which was so dirty he could feel the dust jumping onto his skin. He tried to turn the TV on, but cable wasn't installed yet. Great… He looked at his backpack, not willing to do any homework after the day he had. He could sleep, but that didn't sound very smart. He could clean all the place, which was as horrifying as the murder thing. So, when (his) the doorbell ringed, he ran to the door like his life depended on it.

He heard Stiles saying something like "not wolf, not girls, just normal stuff" before opened the door. Whoever this Wolf girl was, he sounded really annoyed by her.

"Hey, Dexter" the guy said, sounding very excited. "How sick was that bird thing at school, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty sick" Dexter say closing the door behind him. "I didn't see you after that, I looked for you."

"You were worried, that is nice." Stiles said laughing. "Dad was happy to see you."

"Always good to see the sheriff. Hey, Scott."

There it was again. That weird feeling that something was going on, that Dexter was in the wrong place. And considering they were in his house, that's saying something.

"So, what do you guys want?" Dexter asked.

"Oh, yeah, we are going to a party." Scott said. "It's the birthday of some girl Stiles know."

"You remember Heather? She studied with us and…"

"Blonde, cried when I threw her doll in the toilet?"

"Exactly!" Stiles laughed again. "Why you did that, anyway?"

"How would I remember? I was seven!"

Dexter went inside to get his phone and wallet and they went on to the party, talking about the most idiotic things they could. Stiles had a pretty good plan of forgetting everything about Lydia and Allison, the girl he met in the morning. Dexter knew it probably wouldn't work, but when they got in the house and Heather gave Stiles the biggest kiss the boy ever had, he reconsidered.

"What was that?" He asked to Scott when Stiles and the girl went to (gather) get wine for the party.

"I don't think even he knows that." Scott answered with the same freaking surprised face Dexter had. His mind didn't stay on it for long, though. Scott's phone wouldn't stop ringing and when Dexter looked who it was, Allison's photo was right there.

"Dude…" Dexter complained. "You were supposed to move on."

"But she is the one calling me!" He defended himself. "And it could be important…"

"How?" He asked, even though he knew Scott probably wouldn't respond him.

x.x.x

Dexter felt like a very bad friend when Scott answered his phone. When the girl said she was coming, he wanted to punch Scott. "You are the worst at moving on…" he accused while they got to the front of the house.

There, Lydia and Allison were getting out of the car and, based in Lydia's face, Dexter was not really welcomed to the conversation.

"Can we go to…" Allison started talking, but Dexter didn't gave her time to finish.

"What is that in your arm?" He grabbed her arm to examined and then looked at her. "The girl did that to you?"

Allison looked at Lydia, who seemed as surprised as her.

"What girl?" Allison asked

"The one I saw dying." Dexter replied.

"What?!" the three of them said, now more surprised than ever.

"Guys, I'm completely lost." Scott complained, scratching his head, looking more confused than he usually does.

"Yeah, join the club. You saw what?" Lydia asked Dexter.

"You should start with what happened to your arms?" Scott questioned.

"This girl just came out of nowhere, grabbed our arms and asked for you. We didn't knew where you were, so we told her that." Lydia explained.

"But she looked really worried and started running, looking for you." Allison completed.

"I followed her." Dexter started and everyone stared at him. "She looked familiar, I wanted to know who she was. That was when things got weird, she nocked me out and put me in a closet. I couldn't move when I woke up. Then she started to fight to a bunch of people who had very big nails."

"How do you…" Scott asked, sounding worried.

"There was a little opening in the door, I could see a little of what was going on outside. They beat her up and when she couldn't defend herself, he attacked her. I think she is dead."

"And how did you scape?" Allison asked.

"I don't know, I think they didn't see me. There was a lot of dirty laundry on me."

"That is probably why they couldn't smell you." Scott said.

"What? I don't smell!"

"You do, everybody does to werewolves." Allison said innocently, without realizing what she had just done.

"The what?!"

It took a while for Scott to explain everything. He figured that, being his friend, Dexter wouldn't take too long to find out about the wolves anyway. They were always running for their lives, with the craziest monsters appearing in town. It was best for him to know, anyway.

Dexter had been quiet the whole time, looking at the pavement. He put his head between his knees, trying to make sense to all of that. It was so absurd, so surreal, but it actually made him understand to the events of that day. The secrets between his friends, why Scott was so different, more athletic than he remembered, even the attack in the locker room and how everything was so clean after, like it didn't even happen.

Scott was siting next to him, feeling guilty for dumpling all of that on his friend. He knew it was a lot to take in, and a burden with no perks. But Dexter would end up figuring it out anyway. Running with wolves and Stiles, how not to get involved with dangerous situations? At least that way, he knew what he was dealing with.

"Werewolves…" He repeated trying to make the idea sink in his mind. "It sounds like something out of my father's books."

"I know, I thought that too." Scott said with a half smile. "I was dying to tell you, really, but it just… it screwed everybody's life, so…"

"Oh, no, I understand. I'm not really sure if it's a good or bad thing that I know. But thanks for telling me, anyway." He stood up. "What do we do now?"

"We tell everything to Derek. He knows more about the alphas than everybody else. And the information may help us. I can call and ask him to go to the school tomorrow. I will introduce you two."

"Yay, one more werewolf friend…" Dexter replied with fake excitement.

"I wouldn't say friend, but… Well, you will see."

Next morning came and Dexter saw exactly what Scott was talking about. The man looked like 10 feet of muscles and bad mood. He had his arms crossed over his chest, staring at everybody like they were all wasting his precious time. The girls showed him the bruises, but he just sighed, frustrated.

"How is a bruise gonna tell me where Boyd and Erica are?" He said, annoyed.

"It's the same on both sides. Exactly the same." Scott repeated.

"It's nothing."

"Pareidolia." Lydia said suddenly. "Seeing patterns that aren't there. It's a subset of apophenia." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, that's helpful." Dexter also rolled his eyes.

That was probably the first time Derek noticed Dexter presence, because he turned to Scott with the biggest frown, keeping himself from breaking the boy's neck. "And who the hell is he, anyway?"

"He is Dexter, he saw the girl being attacked by the alpha pack. I told you." Stiles stated, positioning himself between Scott and Derek to avoid the imminent attack.

"And them you guys told him everything? You should put it in the school paper, everybody already knows."

"They didn't really had a choice, I saw everything." The boy explained, not that happy about Derek's tone.

"And they are all just trying to help." Scott explained.

"These two." Derek pointed to Lydia e Allison. "This one, who used me to resurrect my psychotic Uncle. Thank you. And this one, who shot about 30 arrows into me and my pack."

"Okay, all right, now, come on. No one died, all right? Look, there may have been a little maiming, okay, a little mangling, but no death. That's what I call an important distinction." Stiles reminded.

"You guys are crazy." Dexter said.

"My mother died." Allison defended herself.

"Your family's little honor code killed your mother." Derek accused. "Not me."

"That girl was looking for Scott." She said, crossing her arms too. "I'm here to help him, not you."

"You wanna help? Find something real." He said before going out of the door.

Scott and Derek stopped to talk by the door, but Dexter didn't see much use for that. If the werewolf wanted to yell and complain about people wanting to help, he could do it someplace else.

"Friendly, huh?" Dexter said walking towards the girls. "Can you guys rise your sleeves?"

"Why?" Lydia questioned with an irritated face.

"So I can help you guys find what the symbol means." He responded rolling his eyes again. "I did a lot of research for the books of my father, so… Or I can just be pissed at you guys like the big wolf there is…"

x.x.x

Concentrating in a class was hard enough for a kid that hasn't been in a classroom in the last five years. Add to that the fact that werewolves are real and the task becomes impossible. He thought about what else could exist. He had read about so many creatures in his father's books over the years, were they all real? Or just some of them? And if they were real, which ones were just crazy talk passed through generations and what information about them is accurate and could potentially save their lives?

He had a headache thinking about all this. It got worse when he thought about his friends. Scott was dragged to the middle of this, putting his friends, family and everyone at risk. How guilty he must feel every time someone gets hurt, the responsibility of saving everybody because he believed he put them in this situation… And now he had one more person to worry about.

Stiles' situation was even worse. A human that, against werewolves, kaminas, alphas, can do next to nothing and, despite that, risked his life every day to help his friends. The boy was way more brave than Dexter could have guessed.

He was so caught up in his own mind that he didn't even understand why the coach was laughing so much.

"Stiles." Dexter heard from the door and realized Stiles was right in the front of the classroom. The sheriff was there. He looked worried.

Stiles followed his father outside and while they were talking, Scott looked really concentrated.

"Are you listening? What is going on?" Dexter asked, not willing to wait.

"The girl who kissed him last night? She disappeared."

x.x.x

The point where Dexter really believed he was going crazy was when they needed help and went to a veterinarian's office. Apparently, the Alpha Pack had one of the werewolves that Derek transformed, but the guy didn't remember anything. So they would throw him in a bath full of ice, make his heart nearly stop and then ask questions about how he was caught and beat up. Just a normal weekday.

"Obviously, it's not going to be particularly... Comfortable." The vet warned the slightly scared guy that was staring at the bath while Derek and Scott put the ice in it.

"This is Dex, by the way" Stiles introduced them. "Isaac."

"What is he doing here?" Derek asked before Isaac could say anything.

"I'm observing." Dexter answered simply.

"This is not a show, this is not something we do when we are bored, you shouldn't be here."

"Dude, what is your problem? I haven't done anything to you, and you are being an asshole for no reason." Dexter exploded. "I just find out about freaking werewolves. After seeing they murder someone. Then my friend is a werewolf too and I'm trying to figure things out in my head, so if you can find something more useful to do than annoy the hell out of me, you really should do it."

The other guys were looking at each other in disbelieve. Dexter really did not know Derek.

"I can rip you apart." He threatened.

"I know that. Which only makes you more of an asshole for not leaving me the hell alone!"

They stared at each other for a while, trying to figure it out who would break first. Then Isaac got impatient.

"Okay, can we get back to me freezing to death?"

"Yes!" Scott said, making an ugly face to Dexter that clearly stated _what the hell are you thinking?_

"You should sit here" Stiles pulled Dexter to the corner of the room while the others prepared themselves.

The ritual was an all new experience for Dexter. It was the first time he saw a werewolf transform so close to him. The creature seemed so out of control, fighting to get out of the water, doing everything for the pure instinct of survival. Was Scott like that when he transformed? Were they conscience when they were transformed? Could the instinct ever overcome the intellect?

Dexter forgot about those questions when they receive new informations. The Alpha Pack had two werewolves who were part of the Hale pack captive. They already knew that. Isaac told them that they were hidden in a bank, that one of the werewolves was dead and that there was another girl locked up.

"She's not dead." Derek was still saying, more to himself than to the others.

"Derek, he said, 'there's a dead body. It's Erica.'" Stiles stated. "Doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation."

"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?"

"Someone else, obviously." Stiles said.

"And maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle. Okay, the one who saved you?" Scott asked Isaac.

"I really don't think she survived, there was a lot of blood." Dexter said.

"No, she wasn't like us." Isaac answered. "And whoever was in the vault with Boyd was."

"What if that's how Erica died?" Stiles pitched the idea. "They, like, pit them against each other during the full moons and see which one survives… It's like werewolf thunderdome."

"Then we get them out tonight." Derek said.

"Be smart about this, Derek. You can't just go storming in." Deaton noticed.

"If Isaac got in, then so can we."

"But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?"

"We need a plan." Scott said.

"How are we gonna come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours?" Derek questioned.

"Someone already did." Dexter said with his phone in his hand. "There was a robbery three months ago. They got the vault open. Doesn't say how."

"Must be really easy to find out." Stiles stated.

"How long?" Derek asked.

"It's the Internet, Derek. Okay? Minutes."

x.x.x

They spent all night looking for it and nothing comes came out. It was like a freaking conspiracy. You can find a video of a cat doing yoga, but can't find how they got into the damn vault. Scott was sleeping in on one side while Stiles had his body in the bed and his face in the floor. Dexter thought about how he could sleep like that if he wasn't so frustrated with his computer.

"Boys." The sheriff said, entering the room.

"They are sleeping." Dexter warned him.

"I can see that." He smiled seeing his son in that position. He didn't even seem surprised. "You guys have to go to school." He turned to Dexter. "Did you sleep last night?"

"Yes, yes." He lied. "It's just a school project."

"In the first week?" He asked with a suspicious face.

"Yeah. I'm kind of behind in… everything. So there will be a lot of extra homework for me. They were helping me."

"Those two?" He pointed to the boys. "But you were always the smart one."

"Things change." Dexter looked at his computer, frustration all over his face. "I'm not that smart anymore."

"I don't believe that." The Sheriff got closer and ruffled Dexter hair. "But anyway, wake them up."

"They won't listen to me." The boy shrugged.

"Boys. Boys!" He yelled and the other two finally woke up, with loud noises and complains. "I need to get to work. You three get to school."

"Dad! Heather?" Stiles asked.

"No, nothing yet." He replied before leaving.

"Ten hours and nothing." Dexter complained, almost throwing his computer out the window.

"We're gonna find something." Scott assured then.

"Finding something doesn't make Erica any less dead or Boyd any less about-to-be-dead." Stiles said anxious.

"Well, we still have time."

"Is this whole, like, 'remain optimistic in the face of complete and utter disaster' thing a part of the 'be a better Scott McCall' program?"

"I think I like the old one better." Dexter said.

"Actually…" Stiles looked at a photo printed a few seconds ago. It was when they arrested one of the robbers. And the sheriff was there. "Dad!"

They were excited, now they had a plan. It wasn't a great plan, but it was better than nothing. They would get in through the air conditioning vent, break the wall with Derek's fist (causing a very painful demonstration on Stiles' hands), and break in.

When asked who was going, Derek's uncle said no. Not very surprising, from what Dexter heard about him (killing Derek's sister, being dead and coming back using Lydia, the guy looked like a real champ), so it was just Derek and Scott.

"That is a terrible idea." Dexter said when the two went off.

"That's what I have been saying all along." Peter interrupted.

"And the fact that we can't do anything to help just kills me." Dexter continued, ignoring Peter.

"That's one of the problems of being in the human team." Stiles said. "You wait, and wait, and wait because if you are there, you die."

He tried to keep his friend calm, but after a while he was about to explode too.

"I can't take it, waiting around like this, you know? It's nerve-racking. My nerves are racked. They're severely racked. Racked." He babbled as he always did when he was anxious. Dexter was actually used to it. Peter? Not so much.

"I could beat you unconscious and wake you when it's over." Peter offered.

"Please, do." Dexter pleaded. "He can't stay still, it's freaking me out. And he is the one that does that all the time!"

Stiles turned to Peter. "You think Erica's really dead?"

"You think I really care?"

"I just... I don't understand the bank, though, okay? Wha... like, why wouldn't they chain them up in some underground lair or something? They're an Alpha pack, right? So shouldn't they have a lair?"

"That's very Dracula of you, wouldn't they live in regular places like everybody else?" Dexter stated.

"See? Your friend uses his brain. And he knows nothing about anything."

"Actually, I know a lot about myths of werewolves, I just got to figure out which are true and which aren't." Dexter defended himself. He was tired of those werewolves complaining about him.

"His father writes supernatural novels." Stiles explained.

"And he thinks he knows something because of that?" Peter laughed.

"I know where to get wolfsbane and shove it up your ass…"

"Can you guys stop it?" Stiles shouted. He sighed and then got back to his crazy talk. "And why wait around for the full moon, huh? Why not just kill them whenever they want to?"

"Maybe they think it's poetic." Peter said.

"They've already had three full moons to be poetic." Stiles replied.

"And here you've only had one hour to be so annoying..."

Dexter sighed. "You are being really annoying, maybe –" Dexter stopped talking when Peter got up.

"What are the walls made of?" He asked.

Stiles stared at him, confused. "What? Uh... I don't know, like, wood and brick or..."

"No, the vault, the vault, the walls, what are they made out of?" Peter seemed agitated. "The materials, the type of stone?"

"Oh. Oh, hang on." Stiles started looking in his backpack. "Yeah, here, hang on. There, that's it. Hecatolite. Is that awful? That sounds awful."

"Damn it!" Dexter said looking as freaked out as Peter.

"Get 'em on the phone. Call them. Now!"

"Why?" Stiles was already dialing.

"Hecatolite keeps the moonlight outside. They haven't transformed in any of the full moons they are there. They must be like generators full with so much energy that they would burn." Dexter explained.

"Yes." Peter replied sounding a lot surprised. "Boyd and that girl aren't gonna kill each other. They're gonna kill Derek and Scott."

They got Scott in the line and explained the situation, but it sounded too late. The growlings on the other side were loud and scary. And Dexter could tell they were completely screwed.


	4. Fireflies

**3. Fireflies**

* * *

Dexter and Stiles had something in common, besides running with werewolves. Neither one of them liked waiting. So, after Scott hang up knowing about the imminent attack he would suffer, the anxiety present in both of them almost made Pete rip their heads out.

The first news they got wasn't very exciting. Despite Scott and Derek's survival through the attack, thanks to an unexpected interference made by Allison Argent, the two werewolves that didn't transform in mouths were now lost in the city, with the animal instincts so powerful they couldn't control themselves. That meant nobody in town was safe until they sort that out. To make things even better, the werewolf that was locked up with Boyd was Cora Hale, Derek's younger sister, that everybody thought were dead.

"We need to do something to help!" Dexter repeated and Peter just rolled his eyes.

"Not my problem, I keep saying…"

"Stiles…"

He looked at his phone, which apparently was ringing. "There's not really much we can do… Hello?" He answered and his face changed.

"What?" Dexter asked, thinking it was more bad news.

"Lydia" he got to keys of Dexter's car and threw them at him. "We need to go."

x.x.x

Stiles didn't explain much in the car. He was beating his feet in the floor, scratching his head, doing all the things he use to do when he is really nervous. The only thing he actually told Dexter was that there was a dead body and that Lydia found it.

When they got in the empty public pool, Lydia looked as scared as a person could be. She was hugging herself, trying to keep calm and not start to scream again. Dexter never saw her like that, so vulnerable. Lydia, the fearless girl who commended the school. Not so much with a dead body on her side.

"Lydia? Lydia?" Stiles yelled getting out of the car. "Lydia, are you okay?"

"I'm okay." She was shaking, but Dexter wasn't sure if it was the cold or the shock. "That, over there..." She pointed to the lifeless body laying in the lifeguard's chair. "Not okay."

The boys turned to where she pointed and then at each other. They didn't expect things to get this bad this fast.

"Yeah, all right. I'm gonna call my dad." Stiles got his phone in his pocket.

Dexter approached the body. "There is a lot of blood in here."

"He is dead, what do you expected?" Lydia rolled her eyes, giving a step back. "And I already called 911."

Stiles lowered the phone to look at her with a disbelieve face. "You called the police before you called me?"

She shrugged, confused about his reaction. "I'm supposed to call you first when I find a dead body?"

"Yes!" He almost yelled in frustration, throwing his arms in the air to get a more dramatic response.

"Calm down." Dexter stopped them. "It's a stressful situation, Stiles, come on." He then turned to Lydia and whispered. "He is right, but don't tell him that." He got his phone in his pocket and got closer to the body again. "I'm calling Scott."

The young werewolf didn't take long to pick up the call. Dexter put on the speakers. He explained what happened and where they were. Scott did seem as surprise as they were.

"Are you sure it was them?" He asked.

"Yep. Throat ripped out, blood everywhere." Dexter described moving around the chair. "A lot of blood." He shake his head. "I don't like blood."

"No one does." Scotty said sympathetic.

"It's like the frickin' shining over here. Two little twin girls come out of the woods, start asking me to play with them forever and ever, I'm not gonna be surprised." Stiles added.

"Can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?" Scott asked.

"If I get closer, I will fall in the pool." Dexter replied. He looked at the cold water in front of him, the red of the blood diluted there. "The police will love it."

"Scott, who else is going around ripping throats out?" Stiles complained not understand the debate. Dexter could understand. If there is two crazy, uncontrolled werewolves lost in the city and someone shows up dead, it's quite easy to imagine who there is to blame.

They hanged up the phone and Stiles got closer to the body. He noticed the guy finger, who had a ring with the inscription "purity" in it.

The police got there soon enough, but no sheriff. He was looking for some other case of a teenage disappearance, probably another attack from the werewolves, which was one more reason to call the all thing a complete catastrophe.

"I'm taking Lydia home." Stiles said, making Dexter stop staring at the police.

"Why?" He inclined his head, staring at his friend with a condescendence face. "I thought the deputies were doing that."

Stiles put his hands in his jeans pockets, suddenly nervous. "Yeah, but she need a little more support and…"

"Really, Stiles? Really?" Dexter rolled his eyes. He should had figure that out. "So, what do I do now?"

"I don't know, go home." Stiles shrugged, not having much to say.

"You know I can do that." Dexter protested. "I will drive myself crazy. Crazier than Lydia, if it's possible." He pointed at the still shocked and hugging herself girl.

"I'm sorry, it's too dangerous for you to go help them. Unfortunately, that is the crap side of being a human hanging with the werewolves, sometimes we can't do nothing."

"So, what is the good side?"

Stiles scratched his head, uncertain. "Can you just come with us or go home?" He sighed.

"Ok."

x.x.x

Dexter lied. In fact, he called Scott and, as soon as the boy said where they were, he drove there without thinking twice.

They decided to set a trap for Cora and Boyd, draw them to the school grounds so they can be looked down until the morning. Chris Argent was helping set everything up, which was a surprise to everyone involved. Just like the fact that Dexter was there.

"You should go home." Scott said, genuine worry in his face.

"Yeah, I should." Dexter nodded. "But still, I'm here and I want to help."

"You will only get hurt." Mr. Argent warned.

"And I won't protect you." Derek threatened.

"You know, I'm not completely useless." The other said, looking in the truck of Mr. Argent car. He got a bow and arrow and shot right in the middle of a tree a few foot away.

Scott looked at him amazed. "How do you…"

"What was the first class you think I sign up to after reading 'Hunger Games'?" He smiled proud of himself, Scott with him. Derek didn't seem so impressed.

"That doesn't mean…"

"Actually, he can help…" Mr. Argent interrupted him, an idea in his mind.

They got the plan ready for action and Dexter were in his place. He and Allison were in the top of a school bus parked next the entrance of the building. He was supposed to wait until Cora and Boyd got near the entrance of the school and start shooting some shine stuffs to take them inside.

Allison had such a concentrated face that scared him. He observed her for a while. He knew she was a hunter, from family of hunters, but she didn't seem like one. At least at school she was always smiling and playful. But at that moment, she was focused, cold and tough. He decided to try to make conversation. "You always look like…"

"Shut up." She said simply, not even looking at him.

"You seem cooler in school" He complained folding his arms. "Now you are just dark and scary. Why?"

She signed. "Do you really want to talk? Right now?"

He nodded. "Yes, they are not even close yet. And I don't know you."

She stared at him, way more aggressiveness than necessary in her voice. "Ok, if you really want to talk, what are you doing here? You don't have to be here, you shouldn't be here, you can die in here, so… what? Is it attention? Is it that you think it's cool or…"

"I have friends and they need help." Dexter stopped her, regretting that all conversation. "So… I'm helping. That's all." He shrugged and sited with his legs crossed. "I don't need another reason to be here… Do you?"

She stayed quiet until Boyd and Cora showed up. They started to shoot near them until they go inside the school. Issac locked the door and gave Allison an intense look before she go off running.

"You guys are so weird…" Dexter said when Issac looked at him. "And how the hell I'm gonna get down from here?"

After he finally got down (Issac helped, but he would never talk about it again) he got to his car. Stiles had called saying he was at the hospital. Apparently, the lifeguard was not killed by werewolves. And another victim was found. Heather.

"Oh my God, this is for real." Dexter said when he saw the girl's body. Ms. McCall wasn't so happy showing it to another teenager, but Dexter was always good in convincing her. He needed to be certain.

"And it's the same wounds?" Stiles asked. He was sited in a chair close by, shock spread in his face. He was trying to process everything and Dexter knew the feeling. Too well.

"Exactly the same," she replied and then turned to Dexter. "Did you know her too?"

"Yeah, we studied together…" Dexter began to say, but stopped when Stiles stood up. He had this face he does when he realize something.

"Has anyone else been through here tonight? Any... any other bodies, or even anybody missing?" He started to ask fast, like his brain are not even done thinking what he is trying to say.

"Uh, no, no bodies, but, um..." The nurse put her hand in her chin, trying to organize some informations in her own head.

"What?" Stiles rushed her.

"Two girls." She said uncertain. "They brought the first one in, Caitlin, for a tox screen, and then I overheard that her girlfriend, Emily, just disappeared. I mean, they were out in the woods and..."

"Nobody's found her yet?"

"I don't know."

"Stiles, what are you thinking?" Dexter asked tired of just follow the conversation.

"Dex, we have two bodies, dead in the same way. With that, we may have one more, what is this?"

Dexter thought about it, searching through his mind what he needed to see. He shook his head when he put it together. "Damn it." He sighed with worry in his face. "But there has to be a connection and… The ring!" He almost yell. Maybe he was spending too much time with Stiles. "The purity…" He turned to Ms. McCall. "Where is the other girl? We need to talk to her."

The talk, as much of a heartbreak as it was, just confirm their suspicion, which was no good. So, when Scott finally could get to the hospital, it was time to expose the theory.

"We are not sure yet, but… The other girl who was out in the woods, Emily? Eventually they're gonna find her." Stiles started.

"And she will be dead." Dexter added. "Just like those two."

"They were all virgins with the same three wounds. Strangled, throat slashed, head bashed in."

"I read it a lot working with my father. It's called the threefold death."

"This are sacrifices, Scott. Human sacrifices."


	5. Unleashed

4. Unleashed

* * *

When Dexter waked up, he couldn't stop laughing. He was all alone in that big house where he had ground up because he couldn't deal with his father's crap anymore. Now he was in Beacon Hills dealing with all the crap of creatures he didn't even knew existed. If that wasn't irony, he didn't know what was.  
So, when he got to class that day, he was obviously not in the best mood possible. However, seeing Derek Hale leaving the school grounds so early in the morning made him smile.  
"What are you doing here?" Dexter had a suspicious look in his face, not making Derek very happy.  
"Nothing." Derek swallow quickly, wanting to go away as fast as possible.  
"When I want to do nothing, I don't usually come to a school that I don't even study anymore." The youngest crossed his arms, keeping the eye contact, what only made Derek more nervous.  
"It is none of your business." The werewolf replied with annoyance in his voice.  
"Nothing in this town is, but I end up in the middle anyway."  
"That's your fault." Derek accused.  
Dexter shook his head. "I didn't want to witness a murder, it's just things that happens in life..." He let a bigger smiles come across his face. "So… You really won't tell me what you were doing here?"  
"No, I won't." He responded firmly.  
"Okay." Dexter shrugged. He could admit defeat. What he couldn't do was shut up. "What about your sister, how is she?"  
Now it was Derek's time to cross his arms. "Why do you ask?"  
"General concern for peoples that passed for traumatic events like she did. She was kidnaped and held hostage for almost four months. So, how is she?"  
Derek choose his word carefully. "Adapting."  
"Not much of a words guy, huh?" Dexter nodded, not hiding his frustration with the response. "You should talk to someone." But seeing the frown Derek made, he continued. "It doesn't have to be me, but… You should. It must be hard having her around after nine years. And she is still recovering, I'm sure. I'm just saying, if you need any help…"  
"I won't." He replied quickly.  
"All right, then." Dexter gave up again. It was a long shot, anyway. "I will go to class now." He started to walk, getting past Derek. Then he turned around. "I hope Mrs. Nothing liked the visit."  
He laugh leaving Derek thinking how the hell he knew about that.  
Inside the school, things didn't get much better. He got in the locker room pissed, throwing his backpack in the floor.  
"What are you doing here?" Stiles asked very surprised with his presence in the place.  
"I'm on the team now. Look how happy I'm." He had a big fake smile spread across his face, which only made Stiles more confused.  
"What do you mean?"  
"They don't have a PE class to put me in." Dexter was almost yelling at this point, trying hard not to throw everything over the window behind them. "They are all full. So I have to pretend I'm on the team to get the credit. I hate lacrosse, it's the most idiotic game ever."  
"No, it's not." Scott defended the sport, looking genuine offended. "And maybe you should try, you look more athletic than before."  
"I know. It sucks, maybe if I weren't, I wouldn't be put in the team." He kept complaining. "They should put some idiot that really wanted that. I bet that's a lot in this school."  
"Stop calling everyone stupid or the other players won't like you." Stiles said after realize they were receiving a lot of dirty looks.  
Dexter approached them and talked very low. "I don't care."  
"Ok, then, but I have something important to tell." Scott said, trying to dismiss that useless debate. "There was a guy last night in the Deaton's office. He disappeared. I looked everywhere. It's like he just walked away. Left his car, his dog."  
"Okay. Was he, like... could he have been a virgin, maybe?" As soon as Stiles started, Dexter could not hold the laugh.  
"You are really asking that?"  
"Of course. Did he look like a virgin? Was he, you know, virginal?"  
"No, definitely not. Deaton makes me have sex with all of his clients." Scott answered sarcastically, which was a much needed improve in his replies to Stiles. "It's a new policy." He laughed with Dexter, but Stiles remained serious. "No, I don't know if he was a virgin. And why are you talking like he's already dead? He's just missing."  
"Missing and presumed dead because he's probably a virgin, Scott. And you know who else is a virgin? Me. I'm a virgin, okay? And you shouldn't be laughing that much, Dex."  
"Yes, I should. In that one I'm pretty secured." He said, forcing a little in his laugh.  
"You didn't told us!" Scott said.  
"Well, not much to talk about it." He now sounded a little troubled. They would come back in that topic in a more opportune moment.  
"I don't care, I still am, so you know what that means?" Stiles continued, his whole body moving to express how affected he was with that information. "It means that my lack of sexual experience is now literally a threat to my life. Okay, I need to have sex, like, right now. Someone needs to have sex with me, like, today. Like, someone needs to sex me right now!"  
"All right, I'll do it." Danny said closing the door of his locker right behind them. The three looked at him with the most surprised faces in the world while he continued. "Come to my place at 9:00. Plan to stay the night. I like to cuddle."  
"Oh." Stiles was shocked. "That was so sweet. Are you kidding?"  
"Yes, I'm kidding." Danny rolled his eyes.  
"Okay, you know, you don't toy with a guy's emotions like that, Danny!" Stiles yelled while the others laugh at him again. "It's not attractive, all right?"  
He stopped right when Isaac get in the locker room and the coach left his office.  
"Mr. Lahey, happy to have you back. Not happy that you're late."  
"Sorry, coach." He responded, not showing much worry about it.  
"I'll remind you all, cross-country is not optional for lacrosse players. I don't need you turning into a bunch of fat-asses in the off-season." He complained.  
Dexter looked at him. "Why are you pointing at me?"  
They had to go running and it made Dexter feel a little better. Running is something he used to do and, considering the situation he was in, it was a good ability to develop. But, of course, the running become something else when Isaac realized that the new twins that got into school were actually from the Alpha Pack.  
They started to use their super-fast speed and passed everyone. Stiles and Dexter wanted to see what was happening, but their pretty bad human skills didn't allowed them. All they could do was try to keep up and not die in the middle of the course.  
"How are you going so fast?" Stiles was barely breathing when Dexter stopped to wait for him.  
"I want to know what is happening there." He indicated the horizon, since at this point they couldn't even see where the others where.  
"Not that…" He stopped talking when they heard a scream. They followed it and discovered the source. A girl screaming after she found another dead body.  
The sheriff department didn't take long to show up, and this time the sheriff himself was there. Again, not so great circumstances for Dexter to see the man.  
"It's the same as the others, you see?" Stiles said to his father, following him through the crime scene.  
"Yeah, I see that." He looked worried, concentrated more in the crime than in the son. He turned to the boy. "Do me a favor. Go back to school, yeah? Dexter," he called out, "can you take him? Coach, can you give us a hand here?"  
"You heard the man. Nothing to see here." The man started to talk, indicating the way back to school for the other students. "Probably just some homeless kid."  
"Coach. He was a senior." Scott said.  
"Oh." He regretted what he said for a moment. "He wasn't on the team, was he?"  
Some girl Dexter didn't know showed up screaming the name of the guy. He thought she was probably his girlfriend. The commotion just got bigger and the sheriff wanted they gone. While they stepped away, Dexter could see the twins' faces, totally confused.  
"You see the way the twins looked at him?" Dexter asked Stiles, Scott e Isaac.  
"When did my father start to think that you are the responsible one?" Stiles changed the subject so fast Dexter almost missed it.  
"What?"  
"You heard: 'Dexter, take him to school'. Come on!" Stiles complained giving his friend a dirty look.  
"That's what you are worried, really? Not the guy in the tree or the fact that the twins didn't know nothing about it?"  
"Yes, they knew." Isaac assured them, his opinion not at all influenced by the fact he was hold by them before.  
"The kid was strangled with a garrote, all right? Am I the only one recognizing the lack of 'werewolfitude' in these murders?" Stiles explained again.  
"You can't just come up with words like that, it doesn't make sense." Dexter complained.  
"You want to control what I talk now?" Stiles rolled his eyes. "Did you became my mother? That's why my dad wanted you to take me home."  
"You are ridiculous."  
"And you are a moron."  
"Can't you guys stop!" Scott asked, making the two of them shut up instantly. "Focus on the matter, please. The twins…"  
"Don't know anything." Dexter completed, for which Stiles nodded. Isaac? Not so much.  
"Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?" He said impatiently.  
"Well, no, but I still don't think it's them."  
"Scott?" Isaac put the other in the spot. "How 'bout you?"  
"I don't know yet." He said and the other three sighed.  
"That's disappointing." Dexter complained.  
"Well, he's got a point." He indicated Isaac. "Seriously, guys, human sacrifices?"  
"Scott, your eyes turn into yellow glow sticks, okay? Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were to stab you right now, it would just magically heal, but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?"  
Scott turned to Isaac. "That's a good point too."  
Dexter put his hand in his face and shook his head. "This is pointless and ridiculous. You guys saw their faces, they don't know anything."  
"I don't care." Isaac said. "They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me."  
"That one I saw." Dexter remembered.  
"I'm gonna kill them too."  
"Well, I'm not really in the business of murdering people, so I'll just try to get some information about the dude that died and leave you guys to it." Dexter said tired of that conversation.  
"You are right, let's just get back to school." Stiles signed. "Maybe now that you are my father's favorite you can get more info than I usually do."  
He started to walk in the direction of the school and Dexter rolled his eyes before start to follow him. However, he smiled too.  
The police were interviewing the girl that started to scream in the crime scene while Stiles and Dexter were waiting impatiently outside, seated in a bench outside the room.  
"So, what is your plan?" Dexter asked.  
"You know… well…"  
"You are just gonna ask her? Like 'is your dead boyfriend a virgin' or 'did you have sex with the dead dude'?" He was kidding, but when he saw Stiles reaction, he knew his ideas weren't any better.  
"You are not helping at all…" He accused.  
"Just trying to make you think through." Dexter shrugged, not sure what else he could do. It's not the typical conversation you have with a girl that just lost a boyfriend. It's not the typical conversation you have with any girl.  
As soon as she left the room, Stiles went to her. He asked and, of course, she slapped him. Then said he wasn't a virgin.  
"Have you completely lost your mind?" The sheriff yelled at Stiles, not caring about the people staring at them. Dexter thought it was funny until the man looked at him too. "I've got four murders, guys. You see those men in there? That's the FBI. They're pulling together a task force to help because it looks like we've got a full-blown serial killer on our hands. You get that?"  
"Yes, dad."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Then what are you doing?" The man asked so frustrated he seemed about to explode.  
"I'm trying to find a pattern." His son explained.  
"Then stop."  
He left and Stiles sit with Dexter. He sighed. "That went well."  
"He seemed mad at me too." Dexter lamented.  
"You should get used to that, since you are back. Good thing he don't talk to your father very much or you were get screwed too."  
"Yeah…" Dexter responded pretending to be relieved. He didn't like lying to his friends. Especially after everything that happened, it didn't seem to make a lot of sense. But he still couldn't bring himself to share the fact that he was living by himself. That he left his father in whatever town they were in that week and didn't received even a phone call since he was back.  
He knew his father didn't care about him, but that must be a record. Anyway, he wasn't even mad. It was better this way. One least problem for him to deal with. But the lying… that wasn't as cool.  
"Well, I will try to find something about the guy on the library; you can check the people on school? I guess you know them better than me, since I stayed away for so long."  
"Yeah, sure. Maybe Lydia know something…"  
"You do find every excuse to talk to her, huh?"  
Dexter laugh and left to the library, not without seem Allison, Scott and Isaac running very excited to the parking lot. Well, they do like complications. He thought before enter the library.  
Connect the computer and start his research was fine. Concentrate in that was a little harder. He looked for the new shows that were coming up, lost a lot of time in some blogs and read an email talking about his father's next book.  
He gasped surprised at how much he cared about it. That stupid book that started the all thing.  
"Dex, get your things, I had an idea." He heard Stiles behind him. The boy was already pulling his arm and he wasn't even sure what was going on.  
"What? Stiles, I…"  
"Now!" The guy said very agitated and Dexter knew enough to just go with him.  
They ended up in the veterinarian office, which always sounded weird for Dexter. How that guy knew so much about all the supernatural? And why no one spent a little more time trying to figure that out?  
Stiles wanted his help, accusing him of knowing more than he told. He threw all those druid facts that Dexter was tired of knowing, but it actually triggered something on the guy.  
"Why aren't you telling us?"  
"Maybe because we've spent every moment of the last ten years trying to push something away. Denying it. Lying about it. Becomes a pretty powerful habit." Deaton said slowed, almost trying to convince himself to continue.  
"All right, so this guy... is he a druid?" Stiles asked, ignoring the conflicts in the man's face.  
"No." Both Dexter and Deaton answered together.  
"Druids are not serial killers, they just had a weird thing for sacrifices." Dexter explained,  
"It's someone copying a centuries-old practice of a people who should have known better." Deaton added. "Do you know what the word "druid" means in Gaelic?"  
"Wise oak." Dexter answered again.  
"How do you know that?" Stiles stared at him.  
"I must have read it somewhere." Dexter shrugged, not sure why that mattered.  
"The Celtic druids were close to nature." Deaton continued. "They believed they kept it in balance. They were philosophers and scholars. They weren't serial killers."  
"Yeah, well, this one is." Stiles said before felling his phone vibrate.  
"I bet is Lydia again." Dexter rolled his eyes, tired of all that.  
It was her, telling them another person was missing. That made for a fast trip for the school again, this time Deaton with them. They were in the choir room, where Lydia found a phone and blood in a piano.  
The vet took a picture of the piano with Lydia's phone while Stiles and Dexter looked everywhere.  
"Each grouping of three would have its own purpose, its own type of power. Virgins, healers, philosophers, warriors..." The doctor continued.  
"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Stiles said getting a picture in the drawer he was looking. It was a wedding picture and the fiancé was using a military uniform. "Warrior, could that also be like a soldier?"  
"Absolutely."  
"Kyle was in R.O.T.C. with Boyd." He said about the dead guy they found early. "That's got to be it. That's the pattern."  
"Then there is two, one more to go." Dexter stated. "You should call the Boyd guy, he can be a target…"  
"Yes, he is probably home…" Stiles said already with the phone in his hands.  
Dexter continued to look in the drawer, but Lydia seemed reflective. "What is wrong?"  
"I just thought of someone else with a military connection." She said without looking at him.  
"Who?"  
They got to Mr. Harris office, but it was empty. There were tests all over the desk and his bag was in a drawer, but no sign of him. Again, Lydia stared at the table with the reflective face.  
"I'm getting tired of this, just speak already!" Dexter complained, frustration commanding his words.  
"This test is graded 'R.'" She pointed at the table. "Stop pressuring me." She responded irritated.  
"You are super annoying and that's my fault?" He replied.  
"This one's an 'H'." Stiles ignored them.  
Deaton take a step closer to the desk, organizing the tests.  
"You remember I told you "druid" is the Gaelic word for "wise oak"?"  
"Yeah."  
"If a druid went down the wrong path, the wise oak was sometimes said to have become a dark oak. There's a Gaelic word for that as well..."  
"Darach." Dexter completed, having no idea how he knew that.


End file.
